Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

The AL East is probably the hardest division in baseball. However, injuries are already taking over the division. We had discussed last week what the impact of Lucas Giolito’s injury would be. Yesterday we learned that he will indeed need UCL surgery, almost certainly costing him all of the 2024 season. This was pretty much known last week, although it’s nice to know the resolution.

The Yankees are always riddled with injuries. Every year something happens to them which hurts their chances for the division, and in turn the playoffs. This spring they have two big injuries so far, and it’s to the best players they have. Except for Juan Soto, he is healthy as far as we know. First, we heard about Gerrit Cole’s shoulder injury, and the fact that now he is getting a MRI for it. This is clearly very odd, and not a good sign for the Yankees. If they are really without their ace, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, their season is in jeopardy. Aaron Boone didn’t confirm that Snell will miss Opening Day, but it sure seems like that the current expected outcome. The initial thought is that Brian Cashman could pivot to Blake Snell, who has been connected to the Yankees multiple times this winter. While this is possible, I doubt they pay up for him. The price will be high, and their current payroll will make it hard to make it work. Jordan Montgomery is another option I’m sure Cashman has explored, but once again I don’t see this happening.  There haven’t been a ton of connections between the Yankees and Montgomery, as a reunion was nipped in the bud earlier this offseason. According to Bob Nightengale, the Yankees did reach out to the White Sox regarding Dylan Cease a few times throughout the offseason, with another time coming after the recent Cole injury. However, Cashman doesn’t want to give up Spencer Jones, which is who the White Sox want. This is odd, as there is an argument to be made that this was the same offer as earlier in the offseason. Alas, I do think Cashman would rather give up prospects then pay a lot of tax for Snell. Definitely something to keep an eye on there. 

In other offseason news, there is none. Snell, Montgomery, and Martinez are all still free agents. While there was a lot of smoke the other night regarding Snell and the Angels, especially after he posted a cryptic Instagram story, nothing ever came of it. Now there is once again silence. The Angels still seem like the most likely option, while I’d say the Cubs and Rangers are in contention for Montgomery. There are only 16 days before Opening Day, which is sooner than I realized. A problem with this is that there won’t be enough time for them to ramp up, so those pitchers will automatically be set back at least a week or two. Although this is inconvenient, I still think the Cubs should try and pursue Montgomery if he is available at a reasonable price.